NATIONAL BRIEFING | WASHINGTON; Dr. King Likeness Is Softened

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: June 20, 2008

Artists helping to plan a memorial for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have submitted changes to his likeness after concerns were raised that a previous rendering made Dr. King, a proponent of nonviolent political protest, look ''confrontational.'' The changes were requested by the United States Commission of Fine Arts, which had criticized the earlier depiction in April. The commission did not vote, but members indicated they would approve the changes. Ed Jackson Jr., executive architect for the project, said Dr. King's face had been softened slightly at the brow and at the mouth, but his arms remain firmly crossed, in part to show his determination.